Sussex 210612

keynote for University is Sussex Partner Network day, 21 June 2012. How Oxford Brookes has made use of learner experience research in developing students digital literacies. Also mapping of SLiDA case stuidies to the developmental framework created with Helen Beetham.

However, beyond these expectations of service provision, and despite usingtechnology extensively in their social and leisure lives, most learners do not have clearideas of how courses could be using technology in educational and innovative ways. Inthe main they still rely to a great extent on their institutions, course pedagogies andtutors for guidance and direction.Findings taken from http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/programmes/elearningpedagogy/lxp2finalsynthesis.pdf

However, beyond these expectations of service provision, and despite usingtechnology extensively in their social and leisure lives, most learners do not have clearideas of how courses could be using technology in educational and innovative ways. Inthe main they still rely to a great extent on their institutions, course pedagogies andtutors for guidance and direction.Findings taken from http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/programmes/elearningpedagogy/lxp2finalsynthesis.pdf

As reported in the Guardian, 8 August 2011The Future Work Skills report predicts that six trends will dominate the job market over the next 10 years. To be successful, employees will need to acquire 10 key skills.Sense-making: while computers can automate certain tasks or jobs, they can&apos;t perform reasoned analysis, which is where humans excel.Social intelligence: working effectively with large groups of people involves the ability to adapt language and behaviour.Adaptive thinking: finding solutions to unexpected situations, whether these occur in high-skill professional / technical roles or in lower-skill roles.Cross-cultural competency: being able to work not just in different linguistic or cultural settings, but in groups including different generations or people with varied skills and working styles.Virtual collaboration: adopting strategies for virtual team working, such as providing immediate feedback or staged challenges.Computational thinking: with increased data comes the need to understand it, and to make decisions based on it.New media literacy: producing content with non-text communication, such as video or audio.Cognitive load management: using filtering techniques and tools to deal with the information overload caused by huge amounts of data.Transdisciplinarity: working longer or in multiple careers means having a deep understanding in one field, as well as familiarity with a broader range of disciplines.Design mindset: as physical environments affect mood, the ability to plan work environments for different tasks or work processes will allow employees to perform better.

Raising awareness of GasFocus on programme level designDocumentationIf we are re-thinking programme design, then we should also re-think how we document the learning experience most effectively. QA (approval) processes require documentation, but I’m trying to emphasise that the documentation should be reflecting the programme design process, not be an end in itself, and should be used to communicate to all interested parties (including approval panels).

One product of the JISC Learner Experiences of eLearning programme was a developmental framework,which explains that learners need functional access, skills, practices and attributes to learn effectively withtechnology (Sharpe and Beetham 2010). As shown in figure 1, these four elements of learner development arearranged in a hierarchy such that the attributes of effective learners are built on learners’ technology-basedskills and practices.

The role of the institution is an important contextual factor in influencing how learners develop the digitalliteracies and other technology-assisted practices to be effective in a digital age. Learners have clearlyarticulated that they expect institutions to provide robust, reliable and accessible technology to enable them to use technologies wisely (JISC 2008). The question then arises of how institutions are creating opportunitiesfor learners to develop their capacity to learn effectively in a digital age.

The JISC studies have helped us understand more clearly the distinction between being immersed in technology and ‘ functional access’ Learners have access to relevant technologies, resources and services.Having functional access might include issues of ownership, mobility, accessibility and time.Just because learners own a lot of technology, doesn’t mean that they don’t rely on institutions. They particularly rely on institutional provision of networking and materials in electronic &amp; accessible format.Abingdon &amp; Witney. A universal induction in digital learning technologies. Induction topics includeemail, connecting to the intranet, plagiarism, the virtual learning environment, remote access andcustomising your computers. The induction mixes multimedia with in-classactivities and the online resources are available anytime, anywhereDALLI was mandatory but students received a 2G memory stick on completion

The JISC studies have helped us understand more clearly the distinction between being immersed in technology and ‘ functional access’ Learners have access to relevant technologies, resources and services.Having functional access might include issues of ownership, mobility, accessibility and time.Just because learners own a lot of technology, doesn’t mean that they don’t rely on institutions. They particularly rely on institutional provision of networking and materials in electronic &amp; accessible format.Abingdon &amp; Witney. A universal induction in digital learning technologies. Induction topics includeemail, connecting to the intranet, plagiarism, the virtual learning environment, remote access andcustomising your computers. The induction mixes multimedia with in-classactivities and the online resources are available anytime, anywhereDALLI was mandatory but students received a 2G memory stick on completionSee http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVfBUw2qSrA

After having access, the next thing is to have some skills. Learners need to develop generictechnical, information, communication and learning skills.There was lots of evidence that these develop over time, but need to devote time to their development.Enablers: Support from family and friends or from formal teaching (such as the EuropeanComputer Driving Licence), to develop basic IT skills e.g. word processing, touchtyping, anti-virus updates, backups, installing software updates.Guidance and training on how to accessto key academic resources such as onlinejournals, which is not confined to induction.At SalfordThe university has initiated a project to develop and implement an institution-wideinformation literacy strategy, using SCONUL’s Seven Pillars of InformationLiteracy (1999) as a framework for development.

After having access, the next thing is to have some skills. Learners need to develop generictechnical, information, communication and learning skills.There was lots of evidence that these develop over time, but need to devote time to their development.Enablers: Support from family and friends or from formal teaching (such as the EuropeanComputer Driving Licence), to develop basic IT skills e.g. word processing, touchtyping, anti-virus updates, backups, installing software updates.Guidance and training on how to accessto key academic resources such as onlinejournals, which is not confined to induction.At SalfordThe university has initiated a project to develop and implement an institution-wideinformation literacy strategy, using SCONUL’s Seven Pillars of Information Literacy (1999) as a framework for development.See http://www.lilacconference.com/dw/programme/Presentations/Wednesday/Strand_Suite/Fielding_Casey_Information_Literacy_Audit.pdf

This is where it gets interesting and you start to see more differences between individual learners. At this stage learners use technology to meet a particular need (lead) and mature in these choices and uses (stroll)Learners make informed choices about how to use technologies, alone and with others. They developpersonal, flexible strategies in response to situational needs.Supporting students to use personal technology in productive ways. Making the use of personal devices, such as personal laptops, smartphones, camcorders and audio devices, a central tenet of technology use across the curriculum. Staff supported to adopt innovative use of mobiles and flipcams in class (site B).

This is where it gets interesting and you start to see more differences between individual learners. At this stage learners use technology to meet a particular need (lead) and mature in these choices and uses (stroll)Learners make informed choices about how to use technologies, alone and with others. They developpersonal, flexible strategies in response to situational needs.Supporting students to use personal technology in productive ways. Making the use of personal devices, such as personal laptops, smartphones, camcorders and audio devices, a central tenet of technology use across the curriculum. Staff supported to adopt innovative use of mobiles and flipcams in class (site B).

Learners’ conceptions of the role of technology allow them to make use of the skills and practices theyhave developed to create their own learning environments. EgMy favourite piece of technology is “my phone, because I record lectures ... I am more likely to watch what I have recorded than to log on the [VLE] and to go through the long procedure of finding something…” (E4L)So, effective e-learners = those that use technology in positive ways to support their learning. Usually beyond the boundaries of the course/uni provision. Often doing creative things we haven’t thought of. It’s about learners creating their own environments and social contexts. However,Learners’ expectations of innovative uses of technology are limited by a lack ofprior experience and knowledge of what the institution can offer.Learners adopt a cautious, conservative, low-risk approach to study when the risks are high.A student enterprise to prepare learners for a digital age where students developtheir own digital literacies through team working on technology projects for theuniversity, local community and external institutions (site H).

Learners’ conceptions of the role of technology allow them to make use of the skills and practices theyhave developed to create their own learning environments. EgMy favourite piece of technology is “my phone, because I record lectures ... I am more likely to watch what I have recorded than to log on the [VLE] and to go through the long procedure of finding something…” (E4L)So, effective e-learners = those that use technology in positive ways to support their learning. Usually beyond the boundaries of the course/uni provision. Often doing creative things we haven’t thought of. It’s about learners creating their own environments and social contexts. However,Learners’ expectations of innovative uses of technology are limited by a lack ofprior experience and knowledge of what the institution can offer.Learners adopt a cautious, conservative, low-risk approach to study when the risks are high.A student enterprise to prepare learners for a digital age where students developtheir own digital literacies through team working on technology projects for theuniversity, local community and external institutions (site H).

.. Rather than mastery of specific system. . Of course all students need baseline skills, but graduates need to have applied these skills in challenging contexts and with high-level tasks. (GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES)Digital skills should not be bolted onto existing provision. Rather, the institution needs to renew its core practices in the light of new digital challenges and opportunities. Digital literacy can be incorporated into the student experience as an aspect of professionalism, employability, citizenship, and other core values and attributes of becoming a graduate.Students&apos; technology skills are shared very readily, including with academic staff! Students may lack experience in professional and academic practice, but their technical know-how can be harnessed through peer working, paid support roles, internships and mentoring schemes.Students needopportunities to express and develop their personal preferences for technology. Use of their own devices and services for study should be encouraged and supported. Social and personal uses of technology are important in their own right to help students fit learning into their lives and maintain their commitment to study. Institutions should find different ways to involve students in shaping their experience of learning with technology. This might be directly, for example giving choices about technology, or asking for and responding to feedback in class. Or it might be indirectly, such as working with course representatives and the Students Union to improve the learning experience.All of the institutions involved in SLIDA were taking a long-term view of development. They were not interested in quick fix investments but an iterative process of consultation and review, embedding new practices of student support in ways that could be sustained.

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JISC Learner experiences of e-learning: Summary• Learners are immersed in technology rich environment• The concept of ‘e-learning’ as course related technology provided by the institution provides a narrow perspective of students’ technology use• Learners have high expectations of institutions to provide robust, reliable and accessible technology.

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JISC Learner experiences of e-learning: Summary• Some learners feel disadvantaged by lack of functional access to technology or the skills to use it properly• Some learners are making deliberate choices to adopt sophisticated technology mediated learning strategies, using a range of tools in personalised, creative ways to support their study

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Graduate Attributes attributes? What are graduate ‘These attributes include, but go beyond, the disciplinary expertise or technical knowledge that has traditionally formed the core of most university courses. They are ability, dispositions, qualities which enable knowledge gained to be translated into a discipline and work place context.Bowden, J., Hart, G., King, B., Trigwell, K., & Watts, O. (2000) Generic capabilities of ATN university graduates, Canberra: Australian Government Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs

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Digital literacy as a graduate attribute An example: Oxford Brookes University At Oxford Brookes University, digital literacy and information literacy is defined as…  The functional access, skills and practicesnecessary to become a confident, agile adopter of a range of technologies for personal, academic and professional use. https://wiki.brookes.ac.uk/display/slidacases/Oxford+Brookes

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Mapping the graduate attributes Not ‘one hit’– it works step by step Progression – over time Address all five – GAsare not discrete; can ‘double count’ Range of experiences all shaped by the disciplinary context

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Contextualised for the discipline• Using VLE to obtain information, submit work and view formative and summative assessments.• Online database searching for systematic review procedure (Physiotherapy)• Data needs to be analyzed using Excel for the assessed scientific reports (Biology)• Use genomic and transcriptomic databases to construct phylogenies, and to be able to detect gene and protein homologies and functional domains

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Key findings from the SLiDA Project1. Prepare students for their experience of learning with technology2. Specify digital literacies in learning and teaching strategies3. Create a culture of engaging with students to inform decision making4. Enable learners to use their own devices and services5. Reconfigure campus spaces for connectivity and social learning

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Learner experienceThe big thing that came out of this for me is that it wouldreally help if the lecturers put Institutional as much as they could in an support electronic format (LexDis) Functional access

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Access enablers Access barriers Restrictions on access toResources that can be social networking sitesaccessed anywhere Lack of facilities for thoseSingle sign on to range using audio supportof online services Specialist softwareAccess to university available in limitedportal prior to arrival locationsAvailability of campus Unpredictableloan laptops compatibility with institutionally providedTechnical support for hardware and software.personally owned

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Learner experienceThe big thing that came out of this for me is that it wouldreally help if the lecturers put Institutional as much as they could in an support electronic format (LexDis) Functional access

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Learner experienceI felt that I was doing two coursesand that was, frankly, too much. Ihad to stay with my bad old habits Institutional just because I didnt feel I had support time to learn something new. (LexDis) skills

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Learner experienceI felt that I was doing two coursesand that was, frankly, too much. Ihad to stay with my bad old habits Institutional just because I didnt feel I had support time to learn something new. (LexDis) Informatio n Literacy skills Audit

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personal practicesPodcast continues to bea great inspiration to the way I learn, I find it sohelpful to listen to again and again (STROLL)

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personal practicesPodcast continues to bea great inspiration to the way I learn, I find it sohelpful to listen to again and again (STROLL)

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Four things to think about?• To enable functional access, students need preparation for their experience of learningwith technology. Induction is an important stage and students need flexible access to induction resources and activities.• To promoteskills development, digital literacies should be explicitly specified, contextualised for the discipline, and embedded in the curriculum.• Developing effective personal practices requires making good choices about where and how to study. Institutions can support this by configuring spaces to enhance connectivity and social learning.• Creating conditions that encourage students to creatively appropriate their technology use might involve designing curricula that encourage exploratory, experimental uses of technology.

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SummaryGraduates who will thrive in the digital age will need the confidence and agility to respond to complex and changing circumstance.The powerful influence of context means that teachers and their institutions should take the lead in developing their learners.Learner development can be understood as developing functional access, skills, personal practices and learner created environments.

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CreditsAll the images used in this presentation are taken from the JISC Learner Experienceswith E-learning key messages slides, available fromhttps://mw.brookes.ac.uk/display/JISCLE2